


The Distance From 'A' to Where You'd Be

by knightinsourarmor



Category: Mass Effect
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Angst, Dimension Travel, Dream Sex, Established Relationship, F/M, Major Original Character(s), Platonic Relationships, Sexual Content, Telepathic Bond, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Violence, Wishes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-01-11
Updated: 2014-01-17
Packaged: 2018-01-08 05:15:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,655
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1128760
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/knightinsourarmor/pseuds/knightinsourarmor
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Thane dies Shepard makes a wish for it to have never happened. Somehow through a crack between the walls of dimensions her wish is fulfilled. But Thane and Shepard are torn from their own dimension and land in a world of magic and fairy tales as a result. Separated from each other, each searches for the other and a way home through a land foreign to them and potentially dangerous.</p><p>But even if they manage to find the other there is no assurance that they can make it back to the reality that they know. And by journey's end will they even want to?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> **Fic title from 'Set Fire To the Third Bar' by Snow Patrol ft. Martha Wainwright.

If someone had told Jane Shepard that she would become marooned in a universe based not on science, but on magic, she would have told them that they were surely mad, and should probably report to a med bay. Had anyone ever told her about the concept of dimensions- and there being multiple versions of worlds and realities overlapping atop your own, existing and growing just like yours- well, she wouldn't say they were losing it, but she'd have a hard time believing it. Things more bizarre had happened during her time with the Alliance, so her universe had been steadily widening these past few years, but alternate existences- that was certainly pushing it.

Now, in the face of this! Well, she wasn't wholly convinced that she hadn't lost her mind from all the stress, the pressure, the grief. How else would any normal person explain what had happened to her, what was happening right in this moment?

She glanced cautiously around the woods, soldier's instincts ever aware and on alert as she quickly stripped to her underwear. Shepard knew she probably shouldn't be making herself more vulnerable while in these unknown woods- and every cautionary voice in her head was warning her not to- but she had been traveling by foot for hours now and, even by a veteran Marine's standards, she was filthy, covered in a thin layer of sweat and grime. She didn't have much to steal. Her weapons and clothes had been gone- unsurprisingly, given her rotten luck and the absurdity of this situation- when she'd come to here, disoriented and dizzy. Had she not, by some stroke of fate, run into a young girl willing to give up some clothes, she'd still be wandering around in little but her underwear, anyways. In the back of her mind, she made a mental note to find a weapon soon. Somehow, in some way, even if she needed to yank a branch off of one of these godforsaken treats and tear off strips of bark until it was sharp enough to use as some form of spear. If there was anything she hated, had always hated, it was having nothing on her to defend herself with. 'Defenseless' was not a word she was comfortable applying to herself at any given time.

Stepping under the stream of the waterfall she'd come upon, Shepard let out a sigh of relief. The water felt so nice even, if it was frigid, and something as familiar as a too-cold bath was, if not necessarily a true comfort in this situation, at least a step in the right direction. As the flow of water sluiced over her shoulders and back, she felt her mind drift unwillingly towards more painful things. She could still see it, could still see Thane's death, as perfect and clear in her memory as she supposed a human could get without a drell's eidetic memory. She could see Kai-Leng's blade piercing through him. Could see him, previously always such a proud and striking figure, laying there on that bed,the life slipping from him. Could here Kolyat's sibilant, low tones, the words his son said, the ones that she said. The pain built up in her, irrepressible, as she relived his last moments again.

_"Siha."_

Shepard's eyes snapped open, breath hitching slightly in her throat and heartbeat starting to race before she forced her pulse back to regulation. She smiled with no small measure of tortured, dark amusement when she heard the voice. The feeling of pain merely morphed into one of loneliness and longing at the sound, as well-known to her as the tones of her own voice.

 _"Is there something troubling you? Some enemy upon you? I could feel your distress. You are not being attacked, are you?"_ At that, the disembodied voice seemed to drop down an octave, toward a low grumble of displeasure.

As someone who greatly valued her calm and composure, it was hard for her to admit that, if anything, hearing Thane's voice only hours after waking up in the woods in some mystical and strange land only made the pangs of panic in her chest intensify. She was finding herself literally screaming at him in fear, every nerve in her body alight with just how wrong this situation was. She didn't know what was going on, and even when it came to Reapers, she had always at least had some kind of idea of how to handle it. Most problems could be solved if you shot at said problem long enough- at least, that was what the military had always implied. This, however- the pain, the emotion, the displacement- was different.

If he had been anyone other than, well, himself, Shepard was sure he'd just start yelling back- but Thane was taking this all with the same kind of placidity he had handled everything else in life with. She wondered if he was hiding his own apprehension or uncertainty from her- even with as well as she'd come to know him, he had always been hard to read, especially without the small nuances of his facial expressions to rely on. Still, this voice was calming, an ounce of balm to ease her frayed and frustrated nerves. If she couldn't have his physical presence here with her, then his voice would have to suffice. Even if it wasn't real. Especially if it wasn't real.

 _"No- no, I'm alright. Don't worry about it, okay?"_ There was a long period of silence as she waited for him to respond, each passing second convincing her even further that she was hallucinating in the first place. Maybe all of this was a hallucination. She wasn't sure if she would be disappointed if it was.

She moved from the water, shaking her head. Shepard's fists clenched with something uncomfortably close to futility as she watched her short red locks fly out in the corner of her vision, vivid streaks of corner in the monotonous greens and silvers of trees and water, and wished she had the luxury of something to dry it with. Being here, without any of her previous resources, was a battle in and of itself. It made her realize how much she'd always had in her life, even if she'd cursed her luck and the mantle placed on her shoulders more than once. If only she could find her way to civilization, she could find a solution, could move on, would be set. Hopefully.

_"Have you located a town yet? Any other people?"_

_"No, not yet. Are you still in Nissol?"_ Thane was lucky. He had informed her that he'd found himself in a nearby city, working just as hard as she was to gain his bearings back.

Well, maybe lucky wasn't quite the word for it. His appearance, while being common enough in their own reality, was apparently shockingly out of place in this one. Despite his very particular skill set, Shepard couldn't deny her traitorous mind the change to worry he was going to be attacked or harmed because of it, but he had assured her that nothing untoward had happened.

  
'Yet,' She thought, letting out a soft sigh that ruffled back her damp bangs. Taking comfort in rote and practice, she slipped her clothing back on, wishing it was ceramic armor pieces, and mentally prepared to get back to searching.

 _"For now. Once you find a city, we can calculate how far we are from each other- oh."_ There was a pause in his voice, as if something had distracted him. Shepard fiercely wished she could see what was going on, but, as was quickly become aggravatingly commonplace, she was forced to wait and wonder instead. "It is getting late here, Siha. Please- be well, and be safe. I know you can take care of yourself, but this is not a land like the one you have always known. I will talk to you more as soon as possible."

That, apparently, was all she was going to get- for now. Without any true means defend herself other than her hand-to-hand skills, with no assurance she'd find anyone any time soon, and with the ringing memory of her alien lover's voice as her only companion, Shepard set out.


	2. Non-Magical Messes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shepard recounts how she and Thane ended up in this mess while looking for any kind of civilization. She ends up coming across other people but it doesn't go quite as she plans.
> 
> Meanwhile Thane ends up enlisting help from a stranger.

_"I wish..."_

If only Shepard had known what those words would end up leading to, she wasn't so sure that she would have said them. Retrospect had always been a pain for her- she was not typically one to doubt her own decisions, and when she did, she despised it.

No- no, that it wasn't true that she'd have held her tongue. She would have spoken those thoughts gladly, had she known they would bring Thane back to the world of the living. However, could she say she was necessarily enjoying all of the the consequences of her wishing? Not quite- not so much.

As she lay down to sleep for the night, feeling uncomfortably exposed without the protective layers of ceramic armor that had become like a second skin to her over the past years in the Alliance, the soldier in her, considering and planning and thoughtful, began to consider the details of what had happened. Even if she wasn't one hundred percent clear on the logistics of this dimension jumping- more like ten percent, but then again, she was lucky enough to have experience being thrown into situations no one else had ever been through before- she was starting to get a few ideas of what was going on. As long as she kept her cool and composure, the way N7 training had beaten into her very core, she could look at this all logically and slowly start to figure it out.

Despite the ridiculousness of all of this, her mind kept wandering to her lover. Thane's death had hit Shepard hard- she was used to people close to her dying, as was the curse of all Marines, but this had been different. The sheer levels of pain and grief had overwhelmed her, even surprised her- after coming back from the dead the way she had, many of the things she'd felt in the months since had been muted. This agony, it had not.

Instead she had replayed his death over and over, blaming herself, considering how she would have been able to save him had she been quicker, stronger, faster, more clever. Yet, in the end, the thought that his death was inevitable wouldn't leave her alone. Wasn't it a good thing that he had at least gone down fighting, the way he would have wanted, instead of quietly and mournfully in a hospital bed?

Except now he was here. In some form. Shepard knew all about what it was to be a ghost herself, but she wasn't quite sure how to handle ghosts coming to her.

All of this internal conflict and grief was not good, especially now that she'd been thrown into a whole different dimension, away from the war she was so devoted to winning back in her own. They were fighting the Reapers and Shepard couldn't allow herself to be distracted by one death- even that of the man she had and still did love- when there were so many lives she needed to save, could save if she triumphed in this battle. She had tried to put it behind her, but in the back of her mind Shepard knew that she was only avoiding facing what happened. Her teammates had been more than a bit concerned over her mental well being. There had been a few murmurs on the Normandy that the great Commander Shepard had finally started to reach her breaking point.

_"Shepard..."_

There was the snap of a branch off in the woods, not far away, and Shepard sat up abruptly, every survival instinct ringing in her head like klaxons on an injured frigate. She still was weaponless, much to her disgust, and if anything was coming, she was going to have to rely on her fists, her body. She was not going to die in some magical world, some odd world. Not without a serious fight. Not after being raised from the dead once.

Running and hiding was the only available option at this point, though, unless it was an enemy she was sure she could take barehanded. Having glanced some of the 'monsters' around here and having heard Thane's descriptions of others, she doubted she could. Even she had her limits, especially when she was out of her depth this way.

She rose fluidly from a crouch to a standing position, cursing at the lack of sleep- she was certainly used to short sleep shifts and frequently worked through the night when necessary, but she had been traveling for hours. Looking around for something to hide herself in, Shepard eventually settled for climbing up a nearby tree, ignoring the way that the rough splinters of bark caught on her exposed palms. She waited low in the branches, hoping that she was high enough and that there was little enough light at this time that she could remain hidden. Maybe she'd get lucky and whoever, or whatever it was wouldn't think to look up. Maybe.

Shepard didn't think she had that kind of luck. Unfortunately, she never really had.

The sounds of footsteps, padded by the soil of the forest, were getting closer. After a moment's consideration, she realized that someone was speaking- however, the language wasn't one she recognized. Shepard tried to look down, peering cautiously through the branches, but all she could see was the inky form of shadows, shifting in the hazy light filtering in between the leaves.

Falling into a pattern of perfect stillness, barely even breathing, Shepard listened and tried to figure out what they were saying. The voices were high-pitched and oddly soothing in their tone, the foreign words seeming to flow through the air like warm wind currents. It was a pleasing sound, and that fact worried her quite a bit, piquing her natural suspicion of everyone she met. Surely anyone who's voice sounded that, well, nice, must use it to their advantage for some kind of nefarious purpose? That had always been her experience- the nice ones could be the most manipulative, and she'd always been a good judge of character. Still, she hadn't met the person or thing that voice belonged to, yet, so she couldn't know for sure. Perhaps it was just her natural paranoia taking hold.

"No."

The word rang clearly out from beneath her, almost making her shift in surprise at hearing something she could comprehend. Am improvement, for sure- not that it was very helpful, but the fact remained. She tried to look again, moving her head slowly and carefully, and she caught sight of two indistinct shapes on the ground below her. They were moving slowly, languidly, and one form seemed feminine, if such laws still applied in this dimension. The shapes appeared to be making their way towards the east part of the forest. An inane notion came over Shepard to follow them- they were the first people she had come across, and if anything, she might find a place to finally rest and try to get her bearings back.

And with any luck, find a map to help her locate a certain missing drell.

+

Thane looked around the tavern, his sharp eyes missing not a single detail. The word 'tavern' had been, initially, unfamiliar to him- but once inside it became quite clear that that the place was meant to be like a bar, or a simpler version of a club. Some things may be different between dimensions- but it seemed alcohol, unsurprisingly, was an eternal given. The thought made his lips pique up jut slightly in a hint of a wry smile.

He had managed to find his way to the city of Nissol with surprising haste, and had remained there for the past few days in hopes of locating Shepard. It had become quite clear that he was alone in the city- or, at least, without anyone he knew personally. His strange and new found 'telepathic' connection to Shepard reassured him that he was not too alone here, in a manner of speaking, but as far as he could tell, she seemed to be far off.

As he sipped at his beer- each drink carefully calculated as to not allow him to be intoxicated but to still allow him to blend in with the environment- he considered contacting her through the link, but discarded the idea just as quickly. He would wait until she said something herself in hopes that she would bring news she had found a town or a village. At the very least, he just wanted her to quickly find her way to a landmark where he could get to her. Then they could locate each other and reunite, after all of this time waiting. The thought seemed almost too good to be true.

Thane ran his fingertips thoughtfully along the mug. It was made of a wood he didn't recognize and and the carving of the vessel was somewhat rough. Being here was hitting him with what could only be described as culture shock, to the most extreme degree. It was different from anything he knew, everything he had ever experienced in his spacefaring life. Shepard had said, when he'd first discovered their link, that this place reminded her of the fairy tales that humans were so fond of, that they shared through generations by telling the stories to their children. Thane, ever a pragmatic realist, could not deny the fact that this world existed, or that there was what was, undoubtedly, magic here. He was seeing enough and had already seen enough to know that it was all real. Unfortunately.

That little piece of knowledge certainly did not make him feel too much better. Like Shepard, Thane had developed a certain problem. While she was lost in the tangle of woods with no way to know which path lead to civilization, Thane's primary issue was in, put simply, his physical appearance. There were humans in this dimension- meaning his lover would not stick out too terribly, as long as she did not draw undue attention to herself- but the assassin certainly did. Master of subtlety that he was, there was the soft murmur of whispers following him everywhere he went, coupled with gestures or pointed fingers, and he'd already had some trouble, for lack of a better word, with people who did not like to see others who looked different than they did. To avoid suspicion and any more trouble, he'd taken to wearing a cloak to cover his face. It wasn't foolproof, however- word got around quickly- and he would have to do something different. soon, or risk a real fight.

"May I sit here?"

The voice came out of nowhere- and it was extremely rare for anyone to catch Thane off guard, testament to his distraction- and brought Thane back to the room and the present. He took a rapid glance around the room before looking down to see a small girl standing in front of his table, staring openly at him but without the hostility of many of the others. Not exactly completely versed in human and human-like features, he momentarily mistook her for a child, but her face seemed more mature upon further study. She did appear human, but then again, nothing was exactly what he knew in this world- it was possible she was not. Some of the species here had similar appearances to the human race- soft, without vivid color to their skin, and with an abundance of that odd hair- but with different features. Thane couldn't be sure what she might be, though, if not human.

"I do not think that to be a wise idea."

The girl frowned, but failed to step away or duck her head before departing, as many already had. Despite being short in stature she carried an aura of confidence around her like a soft, fine cloak, holding herself well and without any pretense of fear or apprehension. Her hair was a dark blonde that seemed overlong compared to Shepard's- nearly down to her waist- and her skin was a darkly tanned shade, enhancing the shadows beneath her sharp bone structure. Muddy brown eyes, intelligent and fearless, looked at him in a manner he wasn't so sure he liked. Thane noticed she was dressed like others he had seen who passed through Nissol- adventurers, they'd been called in delighted whispers- and he couldn't help but wonder what her interest in him, of all people, was.

"Nice to know. It turns out I've never been a fan of 'good' ideas," she replied easily, helping herself to one of the roughly hewn wooden seats at his table. Thane wondered idly if it would be considered rude or unorthodox in this place to simply to make her leave- he was already starting to get the nagging feeling that this was going to be trouble. He could, of course, leave himself- but he was avoiding a certain group of aggressors who had caused trouble for him before. In his own world it would have been an ease to dispose of them. Thoughtless, even, given the way he had honed his body into the finest weapon in the galaxy. Something told him, however, that a group of thugs being found quietly and cleanly assassinated would not bode well for the stranger in town. He did not need to draw more attention.

Maybe she was a part of that group, thought he couldn't be positive. She didn't seem dangerous even with the dagger hanging on her side- she seemed more curious than anything else. Then again, he'd learned that the most innocuous of appearances could hide the most savage of dangers. He himself was a prime example.

"I am Shiimiri Claxus."

"Thane Krios." It wasn't like that name meant anything here.

The girl- Shiimiri, what an odd name- nodded. "Thane. Is that a name you gave yourself?"

This day was full of surprises, to put it mildly, and here was another- she had made him genuinely confused. Gave himself? "What do you mean, in particular?"

"You have to be some magical spell or experiment gone wrong, surely. It's either that, or you have a really fucked up family tree." So it was his appearance that brought her to his table, the same way it had for multiple others. He shook his head in a small, economical movement. He saw no reason to lie, even if she did not believe him, for whatever reason.

"I am not of your world, though it may sound foolish to you. My people are called the drell, and we hail from, in truth, a different planet than this one." Despite the soft evenness of his tone, he was considering each word carefully. Maybe if they thought he was crazy, he'd be considered less of a threat and thus less of a target for harassment. Town loons were typically never very enjoyable to harass.

The look she gave him made nearly Thane smile, a tight and thin-lipped expression. She seemed torn between amusement and severe bewilderment. "Outer space?"

"Yes- but, not exactly. Not as you imagine it. Not your outer space, though they may be drell here- I have seen none that appear the way I do, though it is not impossible. I have only ventured in a small area thus far."

Shiimiri raised a slender palm in a universal gesture for 'wait', and shook her head. She peered around as if seeking- or avoiding- someone, before turning back to him with a grim expression that did not match the one she'd been wearing mere moments ago. The girl leaned in closer, indicating for him to do the same. He relented and did so, mentally counting the dozens of ways he could end her life should she make to harm him. Pressure point, crushed larynx, the list went on. It was unfortunate habit.

"I don't know your true story, but if you're going to lie, make it a better one. Trust me." Shiimiri's glance searched the room again. "You haven't been discreet, and there are people who may not take kindly to someone who looks like a goblin fucked an half-elf, half-whatever."

"You think I am in danger?" The thought would be funny in any other place and time.

"No. I know." The words were enunciated with such conviction that Thane believed her, against his better judgement.

"Have you come here to warn me, then?"

Shiimiri paused briefly, as if she hadn't really considered why she had come here at all. "No," she finally responded, sitting back in the chair with a casual air. "No, I don't think someone like you needs to be warned. I think you know that you are in danger without my input. I just think you don't care. I came here because... Truthfully, I want to help. You're having some trouble. I want to help you out."

"In return for what?"

"Maybe a kiss," Shiimiri said with a wink. Thane allowed himself to return the smile to keep her good cheer continue, though his instincts were ringing with wary mistrust.

"My apologies- but as it turns out, I am already spoken for."

"Shame." A vague look of disappointment fluttered across the girl's face. Thane wondered if she had been serious about the kiss after all- it was difficult to get a read on her, the way her expressions and tones fluctuated so quickly.

"Just help me in return."

"With what?"

Shiimiri smiled widely. "You'll find out. First things first- your problem. Then we can get to mine. What do you say?"

Thane knew that he shouldn't be involving himself with someone like this girl, if only because he already had a plan in mind- there were things he needed to do, but he had little idea on how to go about doing them. The fact was frustrated beyond belief, prodding relentlessly through the veil of his usually unflappable cloak of calm.

He would have to discuss it with Shepard- it would be unfair to ignore their own plans to find each other for someone he just met. However, he needed the help- he needed a way to stay under the radar, as it were, long enough for him to find Shepard in the first place. Maybe it would take a bit longer for them to reunite, but at least it would happen if he had some form of aid.

With that in mind, Thane slowly inclined his head, watching each minute movement she made.

"Excellent."

+

  
_"My heart..."_

  
Shepard would attest that a 'broken heart', the term honest despite her usual disdain for flowery language, was one of the worst things she had ever experienced- and she had died, clinically died out in the gaping maw of space. It wasn't the first time it happened, but the pain of losing someone was sharp and unapologetic and had no mercy for the situation she was in. She wondered if it would ever stop hurting her. In this case it had, since somehow, in some way, Thane seemed to be real and here and alive, but there was still a dull ache lingering, unwilling to hope, unwilling to believe in what her mind was telling her. Watching him die was still too recent of a nightmare.

The wish had taken place a week after Thane's funeral. She had been in her room talking to herself, forcing herself to speak and reason aloud the way she always did with others. She was legendary for inspiring people, for giving them the words they needed to press on and prevail, but when it came to the important things- to inspiring herself, for once- her words felt hollow and fell flat of even her own expectations. At that point she had simply been pushing through each day, but she knew she would need to compartmentalize everything soon so that the mission could continue. Cauterize the wound, dull the nerve endings, like she had with every field injury in her military career. She couldn't allow herself to be distracted when there was a war to decide the fate of the very galaxy gearing into full swing, all depending on her and her decisions. Just one woman.

Shepard remembered her mouth forming the words that would seal her fate- she remembered the off feeling that had swept over her, cool and clinging, before dragging her to blackness until she had awoken here. Shepard mouthed the words back to herself, wondering with a touch of obnoxious fear if it repeating it would undo what she had apparently done, but in the process, make her lose Thane again too. Even if getting to Thane was her main focus right now, finding out how this had all happened in the first place was nearly as crucial.

She had been following the pair for an hour, her mind methodically counting seconds and minutes without registering it consciously. They treaded lightly, nearly silently, making stalking along behind them difficult- but then again, she wasn't one of the most highly trained Marines in the Alliance for nothing. She had lost them for a few minutes at one point, but a thread of conversation, spoken in their odd language, had guided her back on their trail.

In her world, words had always come easy to her- but here, Shepard was struggling to decide what she'd say when she finally caught up to them at their destination. Were they hostiles or friendlies? Would they even understand her, or would they simply see her as a threat? Thane had assured her humans were indeed one of the species on this planet, but who knew if English was universal, especially when they weren't using it right now? Maybe there was no one here who spoke her language- the thought was an unwelcome frustration.

When she saw lights ahead between the trees, a relieved smile tugged at her lips of it's own accord. Finally- it was about time she come across a town or village or just any place where people actually lived. She continued padding ahead on the path, no longer concerned if the pair she'd been shadowing were a threat- after all of this, all Shepard could think about was food and a bed- anywhere to just rest.

Distracted by that pleasant and all-encompassing thought, she nearly stumbled straight into one half of the pair. They were now right outside the village, a large wood wall rising above their heads and flanking a gate door just barely open. Now in light, Shepard could see her marks clearly. They were several inches taller than her, undoubtedly beautiful- but what truly drew her attention was their ears. Long, and tapered to a point at the end. Not human, maybe? What kind of human had ears like that? An alien-like vibe emanated from them, otherworldly, despite resembling humans closer than any alien she had met before.

She cleared her throat. "Hello. I'm Commander Jane Shepard." She nearly winced- did rank even mean anything here? What if they had no military? Would she sound like a fool? "I was wondering if I could find shelter in this place."

The pair stared at her for a long moment, blinked in tandem, and began to converse in their language, the words coming out rapidly and fluidly. One of them, the one she thought was female, gave her a small smile that was probably meant to be comforting.

Seeing them up close, they were more androgynous than she'd initially perceived, and she decided not to assign gender to either. It was probably better that way, especially when she didn't know their customs- at least tact had always been her strength. One had dark auburn hair, the other's head filled with ebony locks. At what seemed to be the conclusion of the quick discussion, the dark haired one shook their head and then walked off in silence. Shepard waited until the auburn haired being turned its attention to her. They gestured to her, before following their companion, and Shepard took it as a sign to follow. A good sign, hopefully.

They walked through the village wordlessly, the lack of communication putting her on edge. Shepard didn't see many people around, but she could feel eyes tracking her, the same sensation that tingled down her spine right before combat, right before her enemies showed themselves. The desire for a weapon rose up again, fierce and forceful in her chest, and she clenched a fist at her side. The person in front of her- without seeming to look at her- had apparently noticed, and let out a minuscule noise that sounded eerily familiar, like a 'tsk'. Did her action upset them? It was nearly impossible to know. She just forced her feet to continue to follow instead of flee, still unsure if they had even understood her introduction in the first place.

They reached a house that Shepard swore had not been there until her guide opened the door. She wanted to be alarmed by the fact, but after all of this, she was just too damn tired to think about it.

Her guide made a motion for her to enter, and she did, eyes locking in on every feature, counting escape routes, doors, windows, things that could be used to defend herself. No one was inside, and there was little in the way of furniture or any markings but for two more doors. She turned to inquire what was going on, hoping to find some clarification even if she had to sign out her query with her hands, but the door they'd entered through was shut and she was utterly alone.

She had found a place after all, but Shepard feared her troubles were only just beginning.

_"Thane..."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woo~ 
> 
> Second chapter done! There will be more OCs later but Shiimiri is definitely one of the major ones and the only one to not take traits from ME characters (at least not intentionally). And poor Thane and Shepard. Their journey to each other is going to be hard and long. But what's a good story without suffering?
> 
> This story has a beta now! Shout out to Tia (ofelrond on Tumblr) who will be putting up with all my mistakes.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading. This story is going to be a long one and I'll try and update as much as I can.
> 
> So I am forever upset at Thane's death especially he doesn't even die from his disease. So I decided to write this to help me feel better. I don't expect much from it. Thane and Shepard are the only ME characters but others are mentioned by both and some of the characters take on traits and attributes almost as if they are that character in this world. 
> 
> More will be explained next chapter to clean confusion in this one. 
> 
> The Shepard for this story appearance's is based off the most common depictions and her personality a mix of depictions I've seen and my own Shepard. If you do not like it you are free to not read.
> 
> Work is currently unbeta-ed at this time.


End file.
